DOT Urges Snowmobile ATV Operators to Use Extra Caution in Highway Rights of Way

ST. PAUL, Minn.-The Minnesota Department of Transportation urges snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle operators to conform with state laws and regulations when operating their machines in ditches and other areas within highway rights of way.

Mn/DOT issued the warning to ensure that snowmobile and ATV riders know where they are permitted to operate their machines and remain aware of safe operating practices.A recent commissioner’s order from the department, for example, bans ATVs from freeways, expressways and other controlled-access highways. The order applies to both Class 1 ATVs (those weighing 900 pounds or less) and Class 2 machines which weigh more than 900 pounds.

Operators are also urged to check with local jurisdictions to determine if they have additional restrictions. Washington County, for example, prohibits ATVs from operating within its road system’s rights of way. State snowmobile regulations allow riders to operate on outside ditch slopes and ditch bottoms, but prohibit operation on roadways, shoulders and the inner slopes of a state or county road. Regulations also prohibit operation on the medians of four-lane highways and within the rights of way of any interstate highway.

Regulations also prohibit riders from operating against traffic at night within highway rights of way.When riding in permitted areas along the state’s highways, Mn/DOT advises operators to use extra caution in ditches and other areas because constructed-related materials may remain within the rights of way.